


there's no time to unpack all of that

by greekgrad12



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: Annabeth Chase - Freeform, F/M, John Mulaney References, Percy Jackson being a simp, percabeth, percy jackson - Freeform, post ttc, pre botl, sally being the number one percabeth shipper, the sally and annabeth relationship we deserve to see, these two just really need to get a clue already
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-15
Updated: 2020-10-15
Packaged: 2021-03-09 06:00:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,203
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27019957
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/greekgrad12/pseuds/greekgrad12
Summary: "So, Annabeth, are there any cute boys at your school in San Francisco?"Percy was choking on his drink before Annabeth even had the chance to consider his mother's question.orthe one where percy might have finally figured out his feelings
Relationships: Annabeth Chase/Percy Jackson
Comments: 11
Kudos: 139





	there's no time to unpack all of that

**Author's Note:**

> this is based off of one of my tumblr headcanons, I didn't intend for it to go this deep lol

"So, Annabeth, are there any cute boys at your school in San Francisco?"

Percy was choking on his drink before Annabeth even had the chance to consider his mother's question. He felt the hand of Sally Jackson patting him on the back as he practically coughed up a lung. The only sound louder than himself would be the obnoxious laughter of Grover from right beside him. Percy managed a glare at his best friend, but he didn’t dare look towards Annabeth. 

Annabeth finished school a week before Percy, so she was able to come to New York and spend some extra time with him before camp started. She had arrived that morning and spent the whole day with Sally while Percy was in class. He would have assumed that all the girl talk would be over by now. He would be wrong. 

“Percy! Sweetie, are you okay?” 

What’s more embarrassing? Surviving hundreds of monsters only to let a sip of Coke choke you to death, or having your mom call you  _ sweetie _ in front of her boyfriend and your two best friends? 

With one final clearing of his throat, Percy was able to answer, “Yeah, I’m fine. I uh, think it just went down the wrong pipe s’all.” 

Much to his annoyance, Grover was still laughing, “ _Bhahaha! Sure_ , buddy. Can you imagine? The son of the sea- _ ow!”  _

Percy kicked his friend’s shin - _ do satyrs even technically have shin’s? _ \- to shut him up. Grover looked back at him with soft bewildered eyes that could make even the cutest of puppies pity him. Still, Percy stared back with a hard look and subtly moved his gaze in the direction of Paul who was sitting on the other side of his mom. Grover seemed to understand where he’d messed up when he noticed everyone but the man in question staring back at him with nervous anticipation. Paul himself just looked confused, obviously waiting for Grover to elaborate on his last comment. 

The relationship between Paul and Sally was still a new one, but from the very beginning, the mother-son duo thought it would be best to keep everything demigod related on the down-low. Percy was hesitant to invite the man over for dinner tonight, not because he didn’t like Paul, or that he was scared the truth would come out -although, that was definitely a rational fear  _ now _ . No, Percy was just nervous about introducing Paul to his friends. Somehow that made things seem more  _ real _ . Percy didn’t know if he was ready for real yet. He didn’t know if he could trust  _ real  _ with his mom again. 

Percy wasn't even sure whose idea it was. He remembers a vague conversation between himself and his mother. Sally had been planning for Annabeth to arrive for weeks. Some things in the woman's schedule had to be tweaked a bit, including her date night with Paul. Date night was usually on Thursdays, but the two teenagers had made plans to spend that Monday together after Percy was let out of school. Grover had even agreed to take the night off from his search for Pan to get dinner with them. Percy remembers suggesting they change their date to Monday this week so that Sally wouldn’t be stuck home alone all afternoon. However, it seemed that his words gave the woman a different idea. Maybe if he hadn't mentioned that they would all be together, then her eyes wouldn't have perked up, and the thought to have them all over for dinner wouldn't have occurred to her. Then maybe they wouldn’t be in this mess. 

“I mean, the uh-” The satyr stammered out, “Y-you know, I meant s-son of the sea as in… as in like uh, figuratively! Cause, he swims- on the uh, swim team, that is! Of course, I mean where else would he-?”

“Grover, honey,” Sally came to the rescue, pitcher of water in hand, “Would you like some more water?” 

“Yes, please,” The boy whined as he held out his cup. 

“You didn’t tell me you were on the swim team, Percy,” Paul spoke up after Grover regained his composure. 

“That’s because I’m not,” He muttered sharply, all the bitterness aimed towards the goat sitting beside him who was currently wearing a sheepish look. 

“He isn’t, but it’s all he’s been talking about this year,” Annabeth’s voice broke him out of his bitter state. Had it not been for the pink shade on the blonde girl’s cheeks, Percy would have forgotten all about his mother’s previous comment. It was obvious that she was just as flustered by the question as he was. And yet, here she is now, acting as calmly as ever, getting the two boys out of their - _ Grover’s _ \- mess. Although, that was nothing new for the trio, “I think he wants to join the swim team at… what’s it called again? Goode High School?”

Paul nodded at Annabeth, as both an answer and encouragement to go on, “You should really talk to whoever the swim coach is at the school, Mr. Blofis. Percy is a talented swimmer, I’m sure they’d be lucky to have him.” 

“Oh, Annabeth, that’s a wonderful idea!” Sally gushed over the girl, causing her blush to return. 

“Well, I’d love to introduce you to the coach at orientation,” Paul offered, eyes bright as he talked about the school. It was obvious the man was passionate about his job. That was something Percy liked about him. He didn’t spend his life laying around and complaining about the world around him. Paul actually had a life, a career, hobbies- things that he was excited to share with Percy, and anyone willing to listen, really, “Goode has an incredible athletic program, I know you’ll enjoy it.” 

And maybe Percy would enjoy it, but he was barely listening as his mom’s boyfriend went on about the school. His sea-green eyes were too busy staring at Annabeth, who was now wearing a soft smile as she listened attentively to the man. Like most days, Percy dreaded being at school, but that morning he was even more anxious to get out of class. Right when he got home, the boy was greeted with blue cookies and a pair of sparkling gray eyes looking back at him. At the time, Percy wasn’t sure which of the two he was more excited to see. Looking back now, he realized that the hug Annabeth gave him made Percy feel warmer than any plate of fresh cookies ever could. 

Dinner wrapped up pretty quickly after that. All three guests insisted on helping with the chores, which resulted in the fastest post-dinner cleanup to ever happen in the Jackson household. Grover was the first to leave due to his ongoing search for Pan. Percy tried to convince his friend to stay the night, that his search could wait a few measly hours. However, Grover merely insisted, “ _ Pan waits for no one!”  _ Percy didn’t have the heart to point out that Pan had been waiting for over a thousand years. 

“I should get going, too,” Paul spoke up right as Grover walked out the apartment door, “I’m working drop-off this week so I have to be at school early in the morning.”

“It was nice to meet you, Mr. Blofis,” Annabeth told Paul as Sally began walking the man out the door. 

“You too, Annabeth,” He smiled in response and waved back to the girl.

“Suck up,” Percy mumbled low enough to where only the girl standing beside him could hear his teasing. He immediately regretted this when Annabeth’s elbow was thrown into his side, “ _ Ow _ !” 

Unlike her son, Sally grinned at the small interaction between Annabeth and Paul. Suddenly, Percy realized that maybe his mom was just as nervous about this dinner as he was. Sally loved Annabeth and Grover from the moment she met them. At this point, Grover was like a second son, and Annabeth was the daughter she never had. It was a good thing too. Percy was glad his mom and Annabeth were so close. Not just because they were the two most important females in his life, but also because Annabeth needed a mom like Sally Jackson. Although, he would never say that out loud. The act of even thinking it sometimes makes him worry that Athena will send a  parliament of owls to gouge his eyes out, “Yes, I think tonight was a lot of fun. Hopefully, we can all do this again soon.” 

“Definitely,” Paul then leaned in and kissed his mother right in front of the two best friends. Percy didn’t think it was possible, but he was positive that the blush coming from his cheeks could rival the blood-red flag that flowed from the top of the Ares cabin. 

The older couple said their final goodbyes and Sally was left with the two teenagers staring at her, “What?” 

“Oh, nothing,” Percy looked over at Annabeth and noticed the girl trying - _ and failing _ \- to suppress a grin, “You just look a little warm, that’s all.”

Percy turned his attention back towards his mother and saw that she was, in fact, blushing. Kissing  _ Paul _ had made her blush. The boy wasn't sure if throwing up or disintegrating into thin air would be the best reaction to this. He wondered what Annabeth thought about all of this. It was embarrassing for Percy, but the look on the blonde’s face was just pure amusement. He was already looking when she turned to face him, cheeks red from holding back her grin. She had her lips sealed shut and her sparkling eyes were looking back at him. She obviously found his expression towards the whole circumstance comical because the dam hindering her laughter started to crumble. 

He could tell she was trying to hold back out of respect for his mom, and he normally would appreciate that. However, when Annabeth threw a hand over her mouth to stop the giggling that had started, Percy couldn’t help but feel disappointed. He never liked it when Annabeth tried to hide her smile, but just simply getting to hear her muffled laughter was enough to melt his horrified expression away. A small grin made its way onto Percy’s face and he felt himself start to chuckle along with his best friend. Not that he’d ever admit it, or what it could possibly mean, but Annabeth’s laugh was one of Percy’s favorite sounds. 

Luckily, Sally Jackson found the teasing teenagers endearing. She wore a soft smile that only a loving mother could muster, and it was aimed at the two of them, “What are you, two? Twelve?”

The woman was only teasing, but Percy still felt the need to defend himself, “Hey, I think as far as demigod twelve-year-olds go, Annabeth and I were pretty mature.”

“You wanted to pet a Chimera, Seaweed Brain,” Annabeth pointed out with an amused expression.

“It looked like a chihuahua!” 

Sally Jackson’s laugh interrupted the banter, “Okay, I think it’s time you two get ready for bed. You still have school tomorrow morning, Perce.”

“You know, I’ve been thinking about that,” The boy playfully wrapped his arms around Annabeth’s shoulders as he continued, “I only have this week left, so technically I wouldn’t really be missing anything if I skipped school to hang out with Annabeth. I mean, what kind of host would I be if I abandoned my guest for algebra?” 

“You are not skipping school, Percy,” Annabeth protested from tucked under his arm. She tried to keep a narrowed look, but Percy noticed a shade of pink on her cheeks.  _ Probably from all the laughing _ , he thought to himself, “ _ Especially _ not in my name.” 

“You heard the lady,” Looking back at his mother, Percy was met with her warm smile, still shining back at them, and a gleam in her eyes, clearly trying to tell him something. He couldn’t figure out what, “Now, you two, go.”

Percy released a defeated sigh, but Annabeth, like the Sally-suck-up she was, simply nodded, “Yes, ma’am. Goodnight, Sally.”

It had taken the girl a long time to feel comfortable calling the woman by her first name rather than  _ Ms Jackson _ , no matter how much Sally insisted. When Annabeth was a little twelve-year-old meeting his mother for the first time, Percy couldn’t help but notice how strange she was acting. Well, not _ strange _ per se, more like  _ different _ . She was hesitant, quiet, and way too civilized for a girl who was raised by a horse on a campground. Nothing like the stubborn, ambitious, wise girl he’d come to care about. When he asked her about it once they were alone, he could feel his chest knotting as he realized it was because she didn’t know how to act around moms. She’d never really had one. 

Now, years later, Percy’s chest was knotting for a whole new reason. He was proud of Annabeth, and happy for her too. All the girl beside him ever wanted was a real family. It made him feel all warm and giddy that it was his family that got to give her that. The feeling alone was almost enough to make up for the lack of comfort he felt when she moved out from under his arm to get ready for bed. 

He watched Annabeth turn the corner to the bathroom before looking back at his mother, who was already staring in his direction with a knowing smirk. Knowing  _ what _ , he wasn’t sure. 

“What?” Percy asked, his voice going up an octave in the process.  _ Damn puberty _ . 

The brunette just shook her head as she approached him, “I’ll tell you when you’re older.” 

After receiving a kiss on the head and a final goodnight, Percy made his way into his bedroom. The blow-up air mattress was laying on the floor beside his bed. Two pillows and folded blankets sat on top, waiting to be laid out. Maybe it was because he was tired, or maybe just because he was lazy, but the thought of having to make up the air mattress seemed like the most dreadful task in the world. Still, offering his bed to Annabeth was his idea, so he couldn’t really complain. 

“Hey, Perce,” Annabeth’s voice tore in between his glaring match with the mattress laying on his floor, “I’m done in the bathroom if you need it.” 

She had walked past him and placed her bag on the chair at his desk as she spoke. When she looked back to face him, Percy couldn't help the small grin that appeared on his face. Annabeth wore mismatched socks, one with donut print, the other with cacti. A strange combination if you were to ask him. Above that, she had on long, purple pajama pants with little owls scattered on them and a plain white t-shirt. Her blonde hair was braided loosely over her shoulder and more than a few straw pieces had escaped the hair tie trying to hold it back. A few of those pieces now stained gray from holding up the sky during winter break. She looked-

“Cute,” The grin he was sporting mere seconds ago fell right as the word left his mouth. Percy  _ definitely _ did not mean to say that out loud. His eyes widened and he could feel his hands getting clammy as the second past like hours. Annabeth was standing there, pink cheeks and eyes wide, making it obvious that she had heard him, “Pants! I mean- your pajama pants are cute- clever! Child of Athena and all. Very clever.”

_ The weight of the world couldn’t compare to the weight of his crushing embarrassment.  _

“Oh, yeah,” She blinked as she looked down at the pants in question, then back up to him, “Uh, thanks. My dad got them for me, actually. I’m not sure if he was trying to be funny or if he just thought I’d like them because of mom.”

Percy finally let out the breath he was holding in the form of a light laugh, “Cool, cool, cool, yeah, very cool of him. Well uh, I guess I should get ready to go to sleep then.” 

The words came out practically racing each other. Like they were trying to see who could make the situation more awkward first. He wouldn’t have been surprised if she didn’t understand a single thing he’d said. Rather than stay and find out, Percy quickly grabbed some pajamas from his dresser and scurried to the bathroom. As he shut the door behind him, Percy finally allowed himself to breathe. What was wrong with him? Why was he getting all flustered? It wasn’t like this was the first time he’d seen Annabeth in dorky pajama pants. The first time she and Grover stayed the night, she wore a blue pair with different historical buildings printed on them. He’d teased her about them at the time, and she’d fire right back at him in retaliation. 

_ Although, looking back now _ , he suddenly thought,  _ they  _ did _ look pretty cute on her _ . 

Shit. There was that stupid word again. He didn’t know why letting it slip made things feel different. Friends can call friends cute. Hell, Grover said he looked cute in his new sneakers and Percy felt snazzy for the rest of the week. Why was calling Annabeth cute any different? Was it cause she’s a girl? Guy friends can call girl friends cute, right? 

Honestly, Percy had no idea. Annabeth was his best friend, but she was also the first  _ girl _ friend he’d ever had. Maybe all of this, what he was feeling, is normal for boy/girl friendships. It’s just a friend paying another friend a compliment, and if anyone deserved compliments, it was Annabeth. She was passionate, kind, brilliant, and well,  _ cute _ . Percy would support anyone who wanted to compliment her. If Grover were to boast about Annabeth’s ambitions, Percy would be right by his side hyping him up in the process. Or when Silena assured Annabeth that the gray streak in her hair looked really cool, Percy gave the daughter of Aphrodite full permission to make fun of his streaks if it would help boost the blonde’s confidence. Or if Connor- well, maybe not Connor. 

The point was, Percy thought Annabeth deserved to hear every nice thing ever thought about her. Why was it so hard for him to do that? 

After changing into his pajamas and brushing his teeth, Percy finally made his way back to his bedroom. Upon opening the door, he saw Annabeth sitting on his bed, legs crossed with a book in her lap. Her eyes looked up to meet his as she heard the door creak. Percy was pretty sure his heart shouldn’t be racing this quickly at the sight of his best friend sitting on his bed. 

“Nice to see you again,” She joked as she placed a marker to hold her spot and shut the book, “I made the air mattress up for you while you were getting ready.” 

He hadn’t acknowledged the mattress since he’d entered the room, but at the mention of the old thing, Percy moved his eyes to the floor by his bed. There it was. All made up and ready for him to pass out on. 

Oh, he could...  _ hug her _ . 

“Oh, thank gods,” He breathed out, “I hate making that thing up. Well- I hate making any bed up really. Trying to put those fitted sheets around the mattress itself is comparable to fighting a hydra.”

“I know what you mean,” She laughed as he fell back onto the mattress. The makeshift bed was old and uncomfortable, but that sound alone was enough to distract him. 

++++++++++

Percy had an alarm clock. The sound of harsh mumbles and thrashing of sheets that woke him up did not belong to his alarm clock. With the exception of the light coming in through the curtain draped window, Percy’s room was pitch black when he opened his eyes. He may not have been able to see Annabeth, but he could hear her.

“ _ Cursed blade... end... no, don’t-”  _

Annabeth’s voice came out anxious and dejected. Percy wasn’t sure how to deal with demigod nightmares that weren't his own. Their dreams were more real than regular mortals. What would happen if he tried to wake her up during a nightmare? Is there some rule about it that he should know? Was it like the rules against waking a sleepwalker? 

_ “I can’t- please!” _

_ Ah, screw it. _

Percy drew back the blankets covering him and sat up on his knees. The air mattress was pressed right up against the bed so he was easily able to reach his hand out and place it on her arm, “Annabeth? Beth, come on. Wake up.”

Her eyebrows were scrunched up together and the braid she once sported had fallen away as a result of all her twisting and turning. He lightly tightened his grip on her arm as he felt her start to move again, _ “Raze- no!” _

“Annabeth?” 

_ “Stop! Just-.”  _

She was getting restless at his attempts to hold her down. He was close enough now that he could see tears running down her cheeks, “Annabeth, wake up.” 

_ “No, please! Not-” _

Percy felt his heart beating out of his chest. There were only a few times where he had seen Annabeth in such a helpless position like this one, and he hated feeling useless to fix it. If he could only wake her up… 

He moved his hands up to hold her tear stained face,  _ “Annabeth!” _

_ “Percy!”  _

Her eyes tore open as she shot into an upright position. Percy had to lean back a bit to avoid their heads colliding. For a while, she sat there not saying a word, just breathing heavily and sniffling every few seconds. Percy, still kneeling on the air mattress, still holding her face, waited for Annabeth to catch her breath, moving stray pieces of hair out of her face when needed. He didn’t try and speak until he heard her breathing go back to normal. 

“How are you feeling?”

She made a final sniffing noise before looking at him for the first time since she had woken up. While sitting up, Annabeth was hit by enough light coming in from the window that Percy could actually see her face. Her now puffy eyes were still wet and rimmed red from the tears, but the gray looked softer.  _ Cute, _ “I had a nightmare. Did I wake you?”

“Don’t worry about that. Do you wanna talk about it?”

Annabeth took a deep breath and sighed. She reached her hand up to take one of Percy’s that was still holding her face. She lowered it onto her lap, but she didn’t let it go. Percy suddenly hoped that she couldn’t make out his face from where he was. He had forgotten he was still holding her- or rather, he had forgotten that he was supposed to let her go. Probably because he didn’t really want to. 

She hesitated at first to answer his question, but he didn’t doubt she would. Annabeth was wearing that narrowed look she always makes when she’s trying to think, “You and I both know how demigod dreams go, Percy. Most of them aren’t worth talking about.”

“I think if you saw yourself just then, you’d think it was worth talking about,” There was no venom in his words, but Annabeth lowered her eyes and focused them onto their combined hands. His eyes softened at the sight, “You can tell me anything, you know that, right?” 

“I know,” The words came out quiet and he could hear her start to sniffle again, “Can we just talk about something else? I need something to distract me now, otherwise I’ll be overthinking all night.” 

Percy wanted to ask her what she’d be overthinking about, but he knew that wouldn’t help, “Yeah, sure. What do you want to talk about?” 

“I’m not sure,” Annabeth layed back down onto her back, releasing Percy’s hand in the process. He was sad to feel the warmth go, but he made no comment on it as he layed back down onto the air mattress. However, once Percy was settled, he turned his head and saw Annabeth laying on her stomach. Her head was leaning on the edge of his bed facing down to look at him and her right hand was thrown over the side stretched out towards the boy’s, “Do you care if I…?”

Percy was glad the lights were off in his room. His face felt so warm that it could challenge Apollo's sun chariot. He could only imagine the shade of red it was, “Oh- uh, yeah. Yeah, sure.”

He hesitantly raised his hand, scared that he had imagined her words, or that he would freak her out. When she gladly accepted his hand, he let himself breathe. However, that only lasted for a short second when he registered that she was holding his hand again, and more than that, Annabeth was now playing with his fingers, “My bedroom is right beside Matthew and Bobby’s. Sometimes they’ll hear me when I have a nightmare, and one or both of them will come stay with me. Playing with their fingers usually distracts me when we can’t think of anything to say. That’s usually what ends up happening. I mean, how could I tell my seven year old, mortal brothers about demigod nightmares?”

“When I was younger- well, still sometimes now actually -I would play with my mom’s fingers when my ADHD started acting up,” He smiled at the memory, “Not even just her fingers. I’d play with her hair too, and her shirt sleeves.”

He could sense her grin, the small giggling sound she made helped, “I’m sure she loved that.”

“Well, she never complained. And she had a lot she could have complained about.”

For a moment, it got quiet, and Percy could hear the sounds of the city from outside. The cars driving by and honking, laughter from people just now starting their nights. Those sounds were his main distraction when Sally couldn’t be there. When Smelly Gabe took her away from him. 

He squeezed Annabeth's hand. She returned the favor.

“Your mom is the best.”

He smiled at that, “Yeah, she is. She really is.” 

“She deserves the best, too,” The blonde girl added, “I’m sure Paul would agree.”

Percy felt himself stiffen up at the name, and he knew Annabeth could feel it too, “What? Is something wrong with Paul?” 

Despite having spent dinner chatting it up, Annabeth sounded like she was willing to hunt Paul down if needed. The thought brought a grin to Percy’s face, probably because he knew she could do it, “No, not necessarily. I guess I’m just not used to my mom dating. I mean, the last guy she was with sucked. I don’t want her to get hurt again.”

“I wouldn’t worry too much about your mom, Percy. I understand how you’d want to help her, but if anyone knows how to look out for themselves, it’s Sally Jackson.” 

_ I could say the same thing about you _ , He thought,  _ Doesn’t mean that I won’t try. _

Percy wondered if maybe that was one of the nice things Annabeth deserved to hear. He decided it was. Her hand stilled for a moment and Percy was scared he’d messed up by saying anything at all. He relaxed again when he felt Annabeth’s thumb run along his. 

“If it’s worth anything,” She spoke, lightly, “I think Paul’s okay. Granted, I’ve only had one conversation with him… You know him better than I do, what do you think? Is he good enough for your mom?”

“No one is good enough for my mom,” He answered her simply, because it was true. 

“Sally Jackson deserves the world, but the world doesn’t deserve Sally Jackson,” Percy looked up at the blonde and saw her wearing a teasing smile. Despite the playfulness in her tone, he could tell she meant the words she was saying.

“You’re completely right,” He replied lightheartedly, then joked, “Even the great god Poseidon wasn’t able to keep her.” 

Annabeth hesitated before she responded, “Maybe she didn’t care about the power. Maybe she just wanted someone who was nice.”

Percy found himself stalling as well. When he finally spoke, his voice came out a whisper, “Did I ever tell you that my dad offered to build my mom a palace under the sea?” 

“Really?”

“Yeah. He offered her immortality,” Percy’s mind then went to the Hunters of Artemis, and the brochure he’d found in Annabeth’s backpack. The memory of what it felt like to possibly lose her. He squeezed her hand tighter. She was there, “She said no.”

“Did it have anything to do with you?” 

“Maybe a little bit, but I don’t think so. When I asked her about it, she told me that if her life was going to mean anything, then she had to live it herself,” Percy had spent many days repeating that mantra ever since he heard it. With gods interfering in his life every other day, it was important to remember that it was still his own, “I think the main reason was because she didn’t want to be stuck. She has always wanted to be a writer, if my mom had gone with my dad then she never would be where she is now; in college, working on her first novel.” 

“Sally deserves someone who will encourage her,” Annabeth agreed, “She’s too humble to ever boast about it, but she knows what she wants. It’s admirable.”

“She should be with someone who has their own passions too. Someone willing to go off on tangents now and then. I think she’d like someone like that.” 

“She would listen to them, and they would listen to her in return,” The girl added, “Maybe someone funny, too. Someone who could be there to help her relax when she needs a break.”

“Yeah, if I were her, I’d want someone like that. She’s the one who says we’re a lot alike, so she would  _ have _ to listen to me about this,” A chuckle came from the girl holding his hand, “Also someone who’s smart. Not in a stuck up way or anything, more like someone who’s intrigued by things. Someone like-” 

_ You. _

For the second time that night, Percy wondered if that was one of the nice things she deserved to hear. He decided that maybe not every nice thought had to be shared.

“You know, you never answered my mom’s question,” Percy felt his throat getting dry. A wave of doubt rushed over him. He didn’t want to know the answer before, but now he felt like he had to, “Were there any boys at your new school you liked?” 

Don’t ask him how, but Percy could feel Annabeth’s smirk from the air mattress. She gave his hand a squeeze, “No.” 

Maybe Percy shouldn’t have, but he liked that answer. 

Percy wasn’t sure, but he was starting to think that maybe, just maybe, this wasn’t how most boy/girl friendships felt. He also thought, maybe, just maybe, he liked it that way. But there’s no time to unpack all of that.

**Author's Note:**

> check out my tumblr greekgrad07 or my sideblog demigod07 for more headcanons that may or may not become fics one day 👀


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